1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a side airbag device configured to deploy an airbag at the side of a vehicle seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that side airbag devices installed in vehicles are effective in protecting mainly the sides of seated occupants by deploying airbags between the occupants and the doors in the event of lateral collisions or the like.
The shoulder of the seated occupant is closer to the door than the other parts of the body such as a waist and an abdomen. Therefore, to protect the shoulder, it is preferable to inflate the portion corresponding to the shoulder of the side airbag more quickly than the other portions.
Further, it is also known that the side airbag is more effective in protecting the occupant in the event of a lateral collision if the side airbag is deployed in such a manner as to receive parts of the body near the shoulder blade of the occupant. Still further, there is a technique of deploying the airbag according to the body size of the occupant.